Polymeric monomolecular films are widely applicable as functional films as sensors and as transmission control films for material delivery because of their selective permeability to gas molecules or ions. In addition, such films are useful materials for electronic devices and for surface protection due to their thinness and tightness.
Amino esters having long chain alkyl groups have been considered preferable for the production of monomolecular films composed of amino acid derivatives.
Prior-art methods for forming monomolecular films by polymerization, such as photopolymerization, group polymerization, and the like, are described in detail in J. Orq. Synth. Chem. Soc., vol. 40, p.377 (1982).
However, there are very few compounds wherein polymerization occurs spontaneously only when their molecules are oriented in the monomolecular film matrixes.
As amino esters which have a long chain alkyl group and wherein the polymerization occurs spontaneously, methyl-2-aminooctadecanoate and methyl-2-aminohexacosanoate are disclosed in Ringsdorf, Macromol. Chem., Rapid Commun., vol. 3, pp. 167-174 (1982).
The problems with these amino esters are that they are complicated to synthesize, that only the racemic modifications are produced, that the eliminative groups (groups removed from the molecule upon spontaneous polymerization) are limited to low reactive group (--O--CH.sub.3) so that the polymerization takes several days at room temperature.
Accordingly, the compounds to overcome the above problems have been desired.